In Living Memory
by Orange Bulldog
Summary: Set in a slight AU future where Myka and Helena are together and HG is back as a regular agent. They thought it was a regular snag-and-bag but then one of their own is affected by the artifact - in a way she had given up hoping for.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Warehouse 13 or any of the characters. Takes place sometime in the near future, assuming everything got worked out with the mid-season 4 cliffhanger. Also, Myka and Helena are in a relationship. Could be a sequel to Just in Case but could also be standalone.

* * *

Austin, TX

"Some people were dead and now they're not? That doesn't really sound like a bad thing to me." Pete said.

Myka gave him a withering look. "Yeah, okay, now it's nice old ladies and a kid who was hit by a car, but who knows who's next? Or what the effect on them will be?"

"Zombie apocalypse, anyone?" Claudia added.

Pete looked at his notes. "Well it seems like most of them are just how they were before they died. Four of the people even look like they are dying the same way they did the first time."

"How awful, to have to watch a loved one die of the same disease a second time." H.G. offered.

"See, a negative. Anyway, we don't get to choose which artifacts to zap, Pete. Okay, Claud, Helena, you two go to the hospital and talk to those families, Pete and I will go talk to the others."

* * *

"No, if Pete and I go, he'll just end up eating, not talking to the restaurant owner. Claud and Helena will go." Myka said firmly. "Let us know if you find anything artifact-y." she said, closing her Farnsworth.

Pete gave her a pained look.

"Okay, we'll go to dinner as soon as we finish these last few visits." She agreed.

* * *

Helena and Claudia walked into a Chinese restaurant, a chime tinkling as they entered.

"Oh hey, a Buddha." Claudia rubbed the little statue's belly.

"Why did you do that?" Helena inquired.

"It's just something you do, for good luck, or to make a wish, I forget." She shrugged.

Helena had a sudden memory of her daughter, Christina, tossing coins into a fountain for luck. How was it that she could be reminded of Christina by so many things, most of which were completely unrelated? She rubbed the belly of the statue while thinking of her lost daughter sadly.

The restaurant owner was little help. The store had only opened a month prior, and he'd bought nearly everything in it second-hand, so it could be anything, and nothing was popping out at them. Helena's Farnsworth buzzed.

"Hello Myka." She answered it with a smile.

"Anything interesting at the restaurant?" Myka asked. Helena shook her head.

"Okay well Pete is starving and we just finished talking to the rest of the 'victims' so how about we meet for dinner and then head back to the hotel to discuss?"

"Dinner?" Claudia popped her head into the frame. "I'm starving too."

* * *

"Let's review." Myka said, rubbing her eyes. "Nine people brought back from the dead. In each case, the first person to see them alive again had eaten at Chang's, but the person appeared in the middle of the night, so it's still technically possible the restaurant isn't the link."

"Plus, how many people must have eaten there this month?" Claudia noted. "And most of them did NOT wake up to find their grandma in bed with them."

"Right." Myka agreed. "No correlation with when these people died?"

Pete shook his head. "Five of them died within the past month, another three in the past year, but one had been dead for almost four years."

"Different causes of death, too. Two from cancer, one from AIDS, three car accident victims, one of Alzheimer's, one drowning, and one gunshot victim." Helena added. "Various ages, as well. The only commonality is that they were all close with the person who found them."

"Okay, well I think tomorrow we should all go check out that restaurant again. Maybe the artifact has a delayed result. It's late, let's get some rest."

Pete and Claudia headed off to their rooms. Helena cleared the stacks of papers off the bed as Myka changed into sleepwear.

"We don't even know of an artifact with this kind of power." Myka said in frustration.

"I know, darling. If anyone had, I surely would have known about it." Helena said quietly.

Myka walked around the bed to embrace her wordlessly. She pulled Helena into bed with her and snuggled into her, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman protectively.

Helena was awoken in the middle of the night feeling crowded. How was it that Myka managed to take up so much of the bed? She rolled over, and realized it wasn't just Myka – there was a smaller body on her other side. Heart racing, she flipped on the lamp – and shrieked, waking the other two people in bed with her.

"What is it, Helena?" Myka asked sleepily. She turned towards her partner and then scrambled backwards, seeing what had made the other woman scream, and was now appearing to render her speechless.

Christina Wells was in bed with them.


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, clearly Helena touched the artifact, whatever it is." Myka said needlessly. She was in Pete's room with Claudia, assessing the situation. Helena had stayed in their room with her daughter, who was obviously very confused and scared.

"It's got to be at the restaurant. H.G. and Claudia went there and we didn't." Pete agreed.

"We didn't touch anything!" Claudia insisted.

"Also, Claudia didn't wake up with a dead person in her bed." Myka pointed out. "I am surprised nobody has died of a heart attack yet, that was one of the freakiest things that's ever happened to me, and I'm a warehouse agent."

"Myka…how do we undo this…now?" Claudia asked quietly.

"What?"

"How do we neutralize the artifact? Won't it make all these people dead again? Including Christina? How can we do that to H.G.?"

Myka hadn't thought of that.

"I don't know, Claudia, but we still have to. Helena knows that."

* * *

The next morning, Helena stayed at the hotel with Christina. She knew they were going to have to neutralize the artifact when they found it, and she decided to take every second she could with her daughter. Besides, the girl was quite confused and at least the hotel room didn't offer too much stimulation.

"Thank you for letting me know." Claudia closed her cell phone. "That was the hospital. Frank Hart died an hour ago." She informed the others.

"He was the one with colon cancer?" Pete asked.

Claudia nodded. "Still had it when he came back from the dead, apparently."

"But the ones who died in accidents, or whatever, they are all okay?" Myka asked.

"Yep, just the ones with cancer and AIDS seem to be sick."

Pete pulled into the restaurant. "We're here."

They entered, the bell tinkling. Claudia unthinkingly reached out to rub the little Buddha's belly again. Myka grabbed her wrist.

"Did you do that yesterday?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Did Helena touch it too?" Myka asked.

"Yeah, she saw me do it so I explained. Oh gosh, you think it's the artifact?"

Pete reached into his pocket and pulled out a static bag.

"Wait." Myka said softly. She pulled out her Farnsworth.

* * *

Helena was brushing Christina's hair when she heard her Farnsworth buzz. Christina looked around, wide-eyed.

"It's just one of Mummy's inventions." She lied to her. Myka's face appeared on the screen and her heart sank. They must have found the artifact. She wasn't ready…but she would never be ready.

"You found it?"

"We think so, yes. A little statue you apparently touched yesterday." Myka said softly. "We're going to neutralize it. I thought you might want to…"

"Thank you for the warning." Helena said.

"I love you." Myka said, hanging up.

Helena gathered her daughter into a hug, waiting for the girl to disappear, or worse, go limp in her arms. She still remembered the feeling of the child's lifeless body in her arms from over a hundred years ago, and hoped she would just vanish, as that would be easier.

* * *

At the restaurant, Myka slowly put on her purple gloves, dragging the moment out.

"Do you want me to do it, Mykes?" Pete asked.

Myka shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She picked up the statue and held it over the bag Pete held. Steeling herself, she let it fall into the bag, all three of the agents shielding their eyes. It sparked and fizzled as Pete shut the bag. A tear leaked out of Claudia's eye. They all stared at the bag, knowing it had to be done, but feeling sad for their fellow agent, and all the other families who had just lost a loved one a second time. They stood in silence for a moment, then Pete went to talk to the restaurant owner about how they were going to take his statue.

Myka pulled off her gloves and picked up her Farnsworth again, redialing Helena. Claudia stepped away, giving her some privacy.

"I suppose you were wrong, then?" Helena answered.

"What? No, it was an artifact. We neutralized it, and it sparked." Myka said, confused.

"But my Christina is still here." Helena said slowly.

"What?"

"Christina is still here. Alive." She said the last word softly.

"Is it possible there are two artifacts in this store?" Myka asked out loud.

"What? Is Christina still there?" Claudia rejoined the conversation. Myka nodded.

Claudia wrinkled her nose. "I really don't think she touched anything else."

"You forgot she touched the Buddha too." Myka pointed out.

"Well yeah but after that we were talking to the owner. And we were careful."

"Helena, Claudia's going to go around and bag everything in this store one by one." Myka said. "I'll stay on the line…let me know if anything…happens, okay?"

Claudia bagged everything in the restaurant. Things she couldn't bag, she sprayed with goo. An hour later, Christina Wells was still alive and well, and there was clearly not another artifact in the restaurant.

"Okay, honey, I think we need to talk to Artie. I'll call you back."


	3. Chapter 3

"She WHAT?"

Myka cringed. "Helena touched the artifact, and brought Christina back to life, but when we bagged it, she was still here." She repeated.

"Are the others there as well?"

Myka nodded. "Pete called the hospital and the people there are all still the same. Artie, is it possible that neutralizing the artifact wouldn't reverse the resurrections?"

Artie rubbed his eyes. "I suppose it's possible. If an artifact kills someone, neutralizing it doesn't bring them back to life."

"So Christina might be back for good?" Claudia squealed.

"It's possible, Claudia. In the meantime, make sure there is nothing else that could possibly be the artifact, and let's wait and see if anyone else shows up alive. What was the artifact you bagged, anyway?"

"A little Buddha statue." Myka said. "Helena says she remembers thinking about Christina when she rubbed its belly. We think maybe it only resurrected people if someone was thinking about a specific dead person while touching it."

"I suppose that is plausible. I'll look into what it could be."

"Okay, well, we'll hang here for what, a few days, a week? Unless you confirm it was the Buddha sooner than that. See the sights of Austin, I guess." Pete suggested. "We'll keep you posted."

They hung up the Farnsworth.

"Back to the hotel?" Claudia suggested.

"I want to make a stop first." Myka said.

* * *

Myka knocked quietly on the door to the hotel room. Helena opened it and quickly slipped out into the hallway. She leaned against the door.

"How is she?" Myka asked.

"She is sleeping now, but she is confused. I did not bother trying to explain fully, as I assumed she was merely…temporary. I am not sure I am yet able to dare to hope that she is really here."

Myka ran her hand up Helena's arm comfortingly. "Artie thinks perhaps that bagging artifacts can neither rescue or cause death, and that it's possible this is permanent. We're going to stay in town for about another week and watch to see if there are any more resurrections, but if not…we'll assume the statue was the artifact, and call the mission a success."

"How can this be? I searched for so long, and now to finally have let her go, and she just…without even trying?" Helena asked, tears filling her eyes.

Myka leaned in and kissed her gently. "I don't know, Helena."

They stood embracing for a long moment.

"We're going to go to dinner in about an hour or so…if you and Christina would like to join us? Have you eaten today?"

Helena nodded. "We had room service. Christina only has the nightgown she's wearing."

"Oh! I almost forgot." Myka held up a shopping bag. "We stopped and got a couple dresses for her. And flip flops, because we weren't sure what shoe size."

Helena kissed her girlfriend lovingly. "How sweet of you, thank you." She sighed. "I suppose I must attempt to talk to her, mustn't I?"

Myka nodded. "Do you…want help? Or not, it's fine if not."

"Perhaps it might help, yes." She turned around and unlocked the door, pulling Myka in behind her.

Christina was still sleeping, so small in the large hotel bed, but she stirred when she heard the two women enter the room. She rubbed her eyes.

"Is it time to wake, Mummy?"

Helena nodded. "Yes, darling, we need to talk with you."

Christina stared at Myka.

"I don't believe you were properly introduced last night." Helena continued. "Myka, this is my daughter Christina. Christina, this is my very special friend Myka."

The girl looked at her warily. "The kind of special friend that sleeps in your bed, Mummy?"

"Yes, that kind." Helena said matter-of-factly. Myka blushed. She tried not to wonder just how many "very special friends" that slept in Helena's bed Christina had met.

"Is she why we're here, in this strange place? Are you going to tell me now?"

Helena sat down on the bed, and Myka perched next to her, letting the conversation be between mother and daughter but staying close in case she was needed.

"We're in America, darling."

"How did we get here? And why is everything so odd?"

"Darling, I am going to tell you a strange story, and you are not going to think it true, but you must believe me. Do you remember the stories I used to tell you about traveling through time?"

"Of course."

"Well, in a way, we have traveled through time. Myka, what year is it now?" she asked.

"2013." Myka answered softly. The young girl's eyes widened.

"We traveled through time more than a century? Why? How?"

"That, perhaps, is a story for another day." Helena tried to put it off.

"If WE traveled through time, why do you already know Myka?"

"Dear girl, you were always smarter than me, do you know that?" she ruffled Christina's hair. "We traveled in different ways. I have been living in this world for a few years now. In fact, I believed that I would never see you again, which is why I was so startled to see you last night."

"Did anyone else come? Uncle Charles? My cousins?"

Helena shook her head. "No, Christina, Charles did not come. Just you."

"So I shall never see them again? Or my friends? Why?"

Helena tried to hug her daughter, but she flinched away.

"No, Mummy, I want to go home." She started crying. "I want to go home now."

Tears were streaming down Helena's face too. "I know, love, but we cannot. We are here now, but we are together. That shall have to do, yes?"

Myka gently put her hand on Helena's thigh. "I'm going to leave you two alone for a bit, okay? I'll be in Claudia's room if you need me. Christina, I know this must be very scary for you, but I want to let you know that I am very happy to meet you, and your mother has missed you very much, and she loves you more than anything in the world."

The girl seemed to take her words very seriously, and she nodded, blinking at the tears still in her eyes.

* * *

Half an hour later, a knock came on Claudia's hotel door. She scrambled off the bed to open it. Helena stood with a miniature version of herself, dressed in a blue sundress and flip flops, scowling a bit.

"Hi! You must be Christina, I'm Claudia." She said to the girl.

"You have queer hair." She said bluntly.

"Christina!" her mother admonished her.

"But Mummy, she does. It's so short. And why is some of it green?"

"Darling, I know it's short and some of it is green, but it's not polite to say that someone has queer hair, and you know it."

"It's okay, I know I have weird hair. You have very pretty hair." Claudia tried again.

"Hi again Christina." Myka said, craning her head towards the child. "I see you've met Claudia, and this is Pete." She indicated the man in the room.

"Pleased to meet you." She remembered some of her manners.

"Are you two joining us for dinner?"

"Yes, we are quite hungry." Helena said. "And Christina has decided that it could be quite interesting to look about this new time, haven't you darling?"

Christina nodded her head. "Mummy says we must stay here even though I do not wish to, and that it is quite interesting."

* * *

Over the next few days, Christina warmed to the group and to the idea of staying in the 21st century. She was fascinated by the television, much to her mother's dismay, although she was so happy to have her back that she hardly minded anything. Everyone held their breath anytime a Farnsworth buzzed, but it was always just Artie checking in, never with word of another resurrection. Another of the cancer victims died (again), but most of the others, including Christina, appeared in perfect health. Despite not finding any other records of a resurrecting Buddha statue, finally Artie declared the mission over.

"It must be a newly created artifact, we do get those from time to time. With that kind of power I can't imagine it would have been unknown to us. Come on home, and take care with that artifact."

* * *

"Okay, that ought to do it." Claudia flexed her hands, pushing back her chair.

"You did all of that from that machine?" Helena asked with interest.

"Everything's online these days, H.G, if you know where to look. Christina is now a US citizen, born in New York, oh with dual citizenship in England because you're her mother, in case you ever want to go back there. She's been attending an online school, but if you want, when we get back and after we catch her up, you can enroll her in normal school. And that's about all an eight-year-old girl needs, really. School and a birth certificate."

"Sometime, Claudia, I am going to have you teach me how to use that."

"I might as well just teach Christina, and let her do it for you." Claudia grinned.

* * *

A/N - I don't like the idea that ALL artifacts are known already to the Warehouse, or that all are due to "important historical figures". Sorry if you were hoping for someone known. However, there's a sequel in the works with an artifact from a real person. :)


End file.
